Both embedded in and detached from the economic, technological, social and political web of contemporary crises, arts and culture are a privileged site for understanding the making and remaking of these conditions.
To mark 30 years since Austria joined the European Union, we dedicate a two-day conference to Reimagining Europe’s Future within this year’s Theme Symposium—a space to reflect on the EU policies and clearly define the role of the arts in shaping what comes next.
Day two, Art and Culture in Times of Uncertainty: From Artistic Practice to Social Action situates art and culture at the intersection of disciplinary paths, a site of collective and individual sense-making where complexities are translated across disciplinary narratives.
In the morning, the section of the program titled Intersections I: Art, Policy, and Political Discourse brings together artistic, institutional, and academic positions to reflect on the role of arts and cultural institutions in times of uncertainty. We examine how the European Union—through schemes like NEB, STARTS, EIT, Horizon or Creative Europe—informs artistic and cultural forms of expression and how culture can, in turn, inform policymaking. We then discuss political gestures within artistic practices, from commentary and critique to direct engagement with communities, politics, and public life.
In Intersections II: Art, Healthcare, and Well-being, we shift the focus on the role of art in addressing individual panic through its contribution to the healthcare sector. In dialogue with the EIT Health, EIT Culture & Creativity and Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, a mix of medical practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and artists reflect on the impact of an interdisciplinary approach to medical technologies, research, environments, and well-being.
